Lower Moro Gear Checklist
Lower Moro is the nearest of the three hike-in camps in Crystal Cove State Park, about 3 miles from the coastal lot, and the one campers pick for its ocean view. Nothing is supplied up there except a toilet and a picnic table, so the packing list is built around hauling your own water, cooking on a stove, and dealing with a camp that sits in sun by day and in damp air at dawn. Campers also disagree on whether the sites are first come or reservable, and on how hard the climb is.
What shapes your gear on Lower Moro
- The hike in
- One camper counted at least 3 miles each way for all three primitive camps and needed between 90 minutes and 2 hours to get to Lower Moro. That trip logged 6.37 miles out and back with 997 feet of gain. Another camper calls it a trek of about 3 miles from the coastal lot and says it gets steep at times, especially on the coastal ridge route.
From The Outbound and The Dyrt: The coastal view
- Fee and sites
- Two sources put a primitive site at $25 a night. The Outbound writer counts about 25 sites, and a camper says the fee includes parking for one car each night.
From The Outbound, Beyond The Tent and The Dyrt: The coastal view
- What is at the camp
- Campers list a picnic table at each site, a bathroom, and no fire pit. One calls the toilet a simple outhouse, and another source says primitive sites have pit toilets. There is no water source at any of the three primitive camps.
From The Outbound, The Dyrt: The coastal view, The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro) and Beyond The Tent
- Sun, fog and noise
- A 2015 camper wrote that the camp sits in direct sunlight all day and would not go in summer. A repeat visitor says mornings bring a lot of moisture from the nearby coast. A November camper woke above the marine layer. Road noise is the other complaint: one camper heard sirens and motorcycles from PCH at night, and another says the camp sits close to a busy trail so you hear neighbors.
From The Outbound, The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro) and The Dyrt: The coastal view
- Ground
- The November camper at site 31 found the ground hard packed and rocky and suggests a tent that stands without stakes or nearly so.
From The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro)
- Wildlife
- The Beyond The Tent guide warns of rattlesnakes in the backcountry, on the bluffs and on the beaches.
From Beyond The Tent
- Picking a site
- Reports differ by site. The November camper picked site 31 as the best because it had an open view of the water and sat apart from neighbors but near the toilet. The Memorial Day camper chose Lower over Upper for the ocean view, and notes that Upper has larger sites for bigger groups.
From The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro) and The Dyrt: The coastal view
What the agency requires on Lower Moro
Leave dogs at home
State Parks bars dogs from the three primitive camps (Deer Canyon, Lower Moro and Upper Moro) and from the backcountry. Service animals are the exception.
What hikers carry on Lower Moro
All of your water
Three different campers say there is no water at the site. One tells groups to bring enough for everyone, and the Outbound writer wants plenty of water and snacks for the steeper right-hand fork of the trail.
From The Outbound, The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro) and The Dyrt: The coastal view
A backpacking stove
Open fires are not allowed at the primitive camps, so the Outbound writer says to cook on a stove. A June 2019 camper adds that the sites have a table but no fire pit.
From The Outbound and The Dyrt: The coastal view
A freestanding or nearly freestanding tent
The ground at the site is hard packed and rocky, so one camper recommends a tent that needs few or no stakes.
From The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro)
Snacks for the climb
The climb out of the lot has a decent amount of incline by one regular's account, and the Outbound writer links snacks to the steeper fork. Pack food that rides well, because a repeat camper says they saw several groups regret bringing large coolers.
From The Outbound and The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro)
Layers and a rain shell for damp mornings
A repeat visitor describes heavy morning moisture, and the Memorial Day camper had warm weather with rain on one day.
From The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro) and The Dyrt: The coastal view
Sun cover
The camp has no shelter from the sun, and the park guide tells visitors to bring light clothes and lots of sunscreen. A 2015 camper found the exposure bad enough that summer was a poor choice.
From The Outbound and Beyond The Tent
4 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Lower Moro
Large coolers
A repeat camper says they have seen several groups haul big coolers up the hill and regret it each time.
From The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro)
A summer trip with no shade plan
The 2015 camper would not come back in summer because the site sits in direct sun all day. The park guide advises light clothes and sunscreen, which fits.
From The Outbound and Beyond The Tent
Counting on a fire or a quiet night
Campers found no fire pit and no open fires, and the Outbound writer says the camp never feels far from the city. One camper marked the camp down because neighbors could be heard from the busy trail.
From The Outbound, The Dyrt: The coastal view and The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro)
Gear questions for Lower Moro
Is there drinking water at Lower Moro?
No. Every camper who mentions water says to carry it in, and one writer says none of the three primitive camps in Crystal Cove has any.
From The Outbound, The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro) and The Dyrt: The coastal view
Can you have a campfire at Lower Moro?
The Outbound writer says no open fires are allowed at the primitive camps and tells campers to bring a stove. A June 2019 camper found no fire pit at the sites.
From The Outbound and The Dyrt: The coastal view
Are dogs allowed at Lower Moro?
No. California State Parks bans dogs from Lower Moro, Upper Moro and Deer Canyon campgrounds and from the backcountry. Only service animals are excepted.
How far is the hike to Lower Moro?
Campers put it at about 3 miles from the coastal lot. One logged 6.37 miles out and back with 997 feet of gain and took up to 2 hours each way, while another called the trek not too bad but steep in places.
From The Outbound and The Dyrt: The coastal view
Do you need a reservation for Lower Moro?
Sources disagree. The Outbound writer says the sites are first come but advises booking on the reservation site, and the park guide says to reserve up to six months ahead. A 2019 repeat camper described every site as first come, first served.
From The Outbound, Beyond The Tent and The Dyrt: Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro)
Sources
- Crystal Cove State Park · California State Parks · Agency
- El Moro Canyon Trail to Lower Moro Campground · The Outbound, Joshua Hernandez · Trip report
- Moro Campground, Crystal Cove State Park (camper comments on Lower Moro) · The Dyrt · Forum thread
- The coastal view · The Dyrt, Leishelle L. · Forum thread
- The Complete Guide to Crystal Cove State Park Camping · Beyond The Tent, Ben Morgan · Blog